Legal claims defining the scope of protection, as filed with the USPTO.
1. A printed circuit board (PCB) assembly for displaying information, the PCB assembly comprising: a plurality of power and control buses configured to carry power provided by a power supply and control signals provided by a controller; a plurality of plug-in back panel modules configured to be connected to each other via the plurality of power and control buses, wherein the plurality of plug-in back panel modules include a set of connectors configured to receive the power from the power supply and the control signals the controller; and a plurality of plug-in light emitting diode (LED) modules for displaying the information via a plurality of LEDs, wherein each of the plurality of plug-in LED modules includes a set of pins configured to connect to the set of connectors of each of the plug-in back panel modules, wherein each of the plurality of plug-in LED modules is configured to be individually plugged into, and removed from, each of the plug-in back panel modules, wherein lengths of the plurality of power and control buses are configured to be adjusted to connect the plurality of plug-in back panels to each other via the plurality of power and control buses at varying distances, and wherein the controller is configured to adjust the information displayed on the plurality of plug-in LED modules by transmitting a signal to adjust the information at the PCB assembly.
2. The PCB assembly of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of LEDs of each plug-in LED module are configured to be electronically controlled by the controller to display the information as a letter or a number.
3. The PCB assembly of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of power and control buses include conductive pathways configured to relay the power and the control signals to the plurality of plug-in LED modules when the plurality of plug-in LED modules are plugged into the plurality of plug-in back panel modules.
4. The PCB assembly of claim 1 , wherein a failed plug-in LED module of the plurality of plug-in LED modules can be replaced with a new plug-in LED module by unplugging the failed plug-in LED module from a plug-in back panel module of the plurality of plug-in back panel modules that the failed plug-in LED module is plugged into and then plugging in the new plug-in LED module into the plug-in back panel module that the failed plug-in LED module was previously plugged into.
5. The PCB assembly of claim 1 , wherein the information displayed by the plurality of plug-in LED modules comprises a price.
6. The PCB assembly of claim 1 , wherein the controller is a remote controller configured to wirelessly control the information being displayed on the PCB.
7. The PCB assembly of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of plug-in LED modules include three slave LED modules and one local master LED module.
8. The PCB assembly of claim 1 , wherein each plug-in LED module is configured to be controlled by the controller to present a letter or a number within the information via the LEDs, wherein the controller is a remote controller that enables entry of new information and then adjusts the information being displayed by the plurality of plug-in LED modules so that the new information is displayed.
9. The PCB assembly of claim 1 , wherein a failed plug-in LED module of the plurality of plug-in LED modules can be replaced with a new plug-in LED module without requiring electrical wiring maintenance to disconnect the failed plug-in LED module from wiring associated with the controller or power supply and then connect the new plug-in LED module to the wiring associated with the controller or power supply.
10. The PCB assembly of claim 1 , wherein the pins of the plurality of plug-in LED modules are male pins and the connectors of the plug-in back panel modules are female connectors, wherein the male pins are sized to be compatible with the female connectors when the plug-in LED modules are plugged into the plug-in back panel modules.
11. A method for using a printed circuit board (PCB) assembly for displaying information, the method comprising: receiving a control signal from a controller to adjust the information displayed on the PCB assembly, wherein the PCB assembly comprises: a plurality of power and control buses configured to carry power provided by a power supply and the control signal provided by the controller; a plurality of plug-in back panel modules configured to be connected to each other via the plurality of power and control buses, wherein the plurality of plug-in back panel modules include a set of connectors configured to receive the power from the power supply and the control signal from the controller; and a plurality of plug-in light emitting diode (LED) modules configured to display the information via a plurality of LEDs, wherein each of the plurality of plug-in LED modules includes a set of pins configured to connect to the set of connectors of each of the plug-in back panel modules, wherein each of the plurality of plug-in LED modules can be individually plugged into, and removed from, each of the plug-in back panel modules, and wherein the plurality of plug-in LED modules includes slave LED modules and one local master LED module; displaying the information on the PCB assembly via the plurality of LEDs of the plurality of plug-in LED modules, wherein the information is displayed based on the control signal received from the controller to adjust the information.
12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the plurality of LEDs of each plug-in LED module are configured to be electronically controlled by the controller to display the information as a letter or a number.
13. The method of claim 11 , further comprising replacing a failed plug-in LED module of the plurality of plug-in LED modules with a new plug-in LED module by unplugging the failed plug-in LED module from a plug-in back panel module of the plurality of plug-in back panel modules that the failed plug-in LED module is plugged into and then plugging in the new plug-in LED module into the plug-in back panel module that the failed plug-in LED module was previously plugged into.
14. The method of claim 11 , wherein the plurality of power and control buses include conductive pathways configured to relay the power and the control signals to the plurality of plug-in LED modules when the plurality of plug-in LED modules are plugged into the plurality of plug-in back panel modules.
15. The method of claim 11 , wherein the information displayed on the PCB assembly by the plurality of plug-in LED modules comprises a price.
16. The method of claim 11 , further comprising adjusting lengths of the plurality of power and control buses such the plurality of plug-in back panel modules may be connected to each other via the plurality of power and control buses at varying distances.
17. The method of claim 11 , further comprising replacing a failed plug-in LED module of the plurality of plug-in LED modules with a new plug-in LED module without requiring electrical wiring maintenance to disconnect the failed plug-in LED module from wiring associated with the controller or power supply and then connecting the new plug-in LED module to the wiring associated with the controller or power supply.
18. A printed circuit board (PCB) assembly for displaying information, the PCB assembly comprising: a housing; a plurality of power and control buses configured to carry power and control signals; a plurality of plug-in back panel modules configured to be connected to each other via the plurality of power and control buses, wherein the plurality of plug-in back panel modules include a set of connectors configured to receive the power and the control signals; a plurality of plug-in light emitting diode (LED) modules for displaying the information via a plurality of LEDs, wherein each of the plurality of plug-in LED modules includes a set of pins configured to connect to the set of connectors of each of the plug-in back panel modules, wherein each of the plurality of plug-in LED modules can be individually plugged into, and removed from, each of the plug-in back panel modules, wherein the plurality of power and control buses, the plurality of plug-in back panel modules, and the plurality of plug-in LED modules are housed in the housing, wherein the plurality of plug-in back panel modules includes a local master plug-in back module and a plurality of slave plug-in back panel modules, and wherein the plurality of plug-in LED modules includes a local master LED module configured to connect to the set of connectors of the local master plug-in back panel module and a plurality of slave LED modules configured to connect to the set of connectors of each of the slave plug-in back panel modules; and a controller configured to adjust the information displayed on the plurality of plug-in LED modules by transmitting a signal to the local master plug-in back panel module to adjust the information at the PCB assembly.
Unknown
February 24, 2015
Browse 5M+ US patents with plain-English claim translations and AI-generated analysis.